AFRICAN AMERICAN DAD

When Dev started to show an interest in the Bible my wife and I welcomed it. He’s a learner and learning comes from reading and examining new ideas. I got my hands on “My Holy Bible for African American Children” and gave it to my son and he was excited to have it. He actually sits down and reads chapters and thinks about what they mean. His interpretations are often a little nuts but he does interpret and that’s a good thing. In this particular Bible he appreciates the illustrations and the clarity with which it is written. He also likes the way the Lord’s Prayer is written. Apparently he has read other versions of the prayer in other Bibles (at his great-grandmother’s house I am assuming) and it wasn’t as understandable as the one in his new version. It’s kind of cool that he even noticed that. It’s part of the reason that I welcome him reading and digging into all kinds of books. Dr. King was a Bible scholar so I know there is value in reading the good book no matter what direction your life takes you in.

I don’t know what direction he wants to take his spirituality in and that’s fine. He’s young and has time. I’ll help him out where I can but I definitely don’t have all the answers. Religion is a complicated and personal journey that I’m still on after all these years and I will likely be on my journey for life. It’s the nature of who I am. I have too many questions about life to ever arrive at a destination or an ultimate conclusion about where I am, where I am going, and where I want to be. I am growing though, and I think that that is the most important element of spirituality.